Composition in Landscape and Still Life

The overview of all compositional matters are set throughtly. One drawback is the pictures he is discussing in the text are sometimes not on the same page. Need to flip back and forth alot.

This is a 208-page semi-classic on pictorial composition, as far as composition is concerned. Analyzing about 135 paintings, 8 of which are reproduced in color, the basic principles of design here can be applied to more modern applications if necessary. Originally created in 1959, no painting pictured is more modern than that. That's OK- the principles here are mostly timeless, as demonstrated by Marvel's great Stan Lee & John Buscema in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. In Marvel Way, Buscema actually illustrates more modern examples of the principles laid out by Watson, and that was enough for me to want to get this immediately. I'm so glad Dover gave this book a chance- its been out of print for years. One thing I can't currently do is compare this with other composition titles; it's just not a subject I've yet to heavily invest in. What I *can* say is that upon seeing this title's contents, I'm satisfied that it's at least not a waste of money- most people can certainly learn something here. It's a bit more wordy than I'd like, but Ernest Watson is an author worth reading. My favorite of his books is The Art of Pencil Drawing; it's definitely worth checking out. Few of his other titles survive today; I recommend people get them while they can.

I am fond of old books on painting and drawing, and this reprint of Watson's title originally published in the fifties lived to my expectation. Composition and design are most important ingredients in painting, yet there's a very few books on those subjects around. This one should be on every artist's shelf.

First of all, I love Watson's pencil drawings, which is why I bought the book, that and I need to work on my composition. The illustrations are mainly small black-and-white photos of paintings. While one may wish to see the pictures larger and in color, for the purposes of studying composition, the colorless versions are fine because it forces you to look at the values. The book was written in the fifties, and Watson quotes contemporary artists on composition. Some of the quotes are a bit pretentious, but still have something worth noting. When I have read further, I will report back on my observations. So far I have learned about how the human eye tends to move across the picture. We will see if I can find a practical use for this later in the book.